Looking at buying a deuce and I have a couple questions

[CUCVLOVER]

Hello all,
First things first, I don't really know that much about the m35a2, so I have a few questions.

I am looking at buying a 1973 bobbed m35a2, it has the winch, whistler muiltifuel, I believe it is air shift transfer case and super singled.

The winch is supposed to work but it needs the drive shaft for it hooked up. The brake lights need t be hooked up, and the vacume lines need to be hooked up to the wipers.

The owner has a picture of trying to drive over a car and it looks like it twist the frame but in the other pictures the truck is super straight. (Pics included)

How can I test for winch function? I was thinking about using a big pipe wrench on the shaft to just move it a little bit, is that OK?

So any information will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you again

 

[theeDIZ]

The frames do flex

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Thanks.
I knew the frames will flex some, but I didn't know if they could take that much, or if that wasn't really much flex for a duece.
Thanks

 

[Akicita]

Winch: Sounds fishy to me. Find out WHY the driveshaft was disconnected. My guess is someone put too much torque on the winch and twisted something. The army supplied pins that are supposed to break before that happens but some users today think they know better and replace the pins with bolts that don't break and don't provide that safety to the winch components.

Brake lights: Easy fix

Vacuum lines: If you work on the wipers anyway, you may want to replace the wiper motors with electric ones. They are more powerful and (arguably) better. I still have the air-driven wipers on my 1970 Deuce and am not impressed with their performance.

Twisted frame: Yikes! Look for another Deuce if the frame is twisted.

Winch function: If you use that big pipe wrench you're talking about you may do more damage than good. Before I would want to try anything, I would want to find out why the winch is in that condition. Also, I would unwind the winch cable and check its condition. The best motor isn't going to do any good if the cable is damaged. A cable that snaps can kill someone!!!

I broke two pins over the years dragging trees out of the woods. Replacing pins is a simple task (although sometimes it takes a bit longer than I'd like in snow or mud). The pins protect the winch components from bending, breaking, stripping, etc. If the previous owner put some heavy-duty bolt where the pin is supposed to be, he may have twisted and damaged more than you want to replace.

There are still a lot of Deuces out there. Buy one that doesn't come with more problems than you understand and are willing and able to fix.

Best of luck to you!

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Thanks.

The guy says the drive shaft was not included with the truck when he got, so he bought a shaft for it but never took the time to install. He says the PO said the winch worked fine.

Why would I hurt it by turning the input shaft a little with a pipe wrench ?

I'm a complete newb on this so sorry if I ask a retarded question.
Thanks again

 

[MWMULES]

On a bobber really take the time to see how the work was done. If you don't have great mechanical/fabrication skills find some one to take with you that does. I have seen some done that were dangerous and was an accident waiting to happen. One of my friends got one that the rear was done with the M105 frame/spring lift that whole rear end was held on by 8 9/16" grade 5 bolts, four on each side, that didn't even have a full thread out of the top of the nut. To add insult to injury the bolts were put in with the nuts on top.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Metel fab is what me and my dad do, if its a crap job we will spot it.
That sucks about your duece.

Here is a pic of the rear.

Also can you guys tell me what kind of tires are on this truck?
I heard some like to pop on the highway but don't know which ones.
Thanks again

 

[Coffey1]

Look like Goodyear's

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Thanks.
Are they good tires?

 

[Katahdin]

Ugh...Those brake lines look awful.

 

[Akicita]

You wrote: <<The guy says the drive shaft was not included with the truck when he got, so he bought a shaft for it but never took the time to install. He says the PO said the winch worked fine. >>

That's what worries me. You're a newbie, don't know what to look for, maybe don't know what you're looking at, don't know how to tell good from bad. No insult intended, brother, none of us were born with the knowledge we acquired over the years and all of us started where you are today, but you're trying to find answers to questions on this forum that aren't simply black or white.
Most sellers tell a potential buyer that everything is working fine - even when it doesn't. The previous owner spent money on parts but never installed them?????? Sure, life happens, and sometimes things happen that keep us from completing a job like playing with the winch on our Deuces. You have to decide if you want to believe that.

<<Why would I hurt it by turning the input shaft a little with a pipe wrench ?>>

If the winch is not in good condition, let's say, something is binding inside because it was overtorqued, and now you turn the shaft with a pipe wrench, you could get it stuck for good.

<<I'm a complete newb on this so sorry if I ask a retarded question.>>

Don't worry about that. All of us were newbies at one time. However, it's a good idea to check the archives for answers that were already given.

Attached: Picture of winch shear pin under my truck

 

[CUCVLOVER]

You wrote: <<The guy says the drive shaft was not included with the truck when he got, so he bought a shaft for it but never took the time to install. He says the PO said the winch worked fine. >>

That's what worries me. You're a newbie, don't know what to look for, maybe don't know what you're looking at, don't know how to tell good from bad. No insult intended, brother, none of us were born with the knowledge we acquired over the years and all of us started where you are today, but you're trying to find answers to questions on this forum that aren't simply black or white.
Most sellers tell a potential buyer that everything is working fine - even when it doesn't. The previous owner spent money on parts but never installed them?????? Sure, life happens, and sometimes things happen that keep us from completing a job like playing with the winch on our Deuces. You have to decide if you want to believe that.

<<Why would I hurt it by turning the input shaft a little with a pipe wrench ?>>

If the winch is not in good condition, let's say, something is binding inside because it was overtorqued, and now you turn the shaft with a pipe wrench, you could get it stuck for good.

<<I'm a complete newb on this so sorry if I ask a retarded question.>>

Don't worry about that. All of us were newbies at one time. However, it's a good idea to check the archives for answers that were already given.

Attached: Picture of winch shear pin under my truck

Thank you very much.
I have no reason to be insulted, you speak the truth as do many others here.

I am also concerned about the winch, I don't see why anyone would pull the shaft form a working setup unless to get it serviced and could not get it back in before it was repoed. I talked to the guy a little while ago and he said he got the truck from a bank, it had been repossessed, and the old owner contacted him through the ad. (Sorry hadn't had time to post that till now)

I am working on some tm and old thread reading, just haven't had much time.
I am searching so this so...
Instead of a big pipe wrench what about a screw driver in the shear pin hole? I guess it should turn easily with that or will I mess it up if its bound inside?
In your pic that is a copper bolt correct?

Thank you very much again.

 

[Coffey1]

You will have to make sure the drum lock is out then see if about a foot of cable can be pulled out.
Then try to turn input shaft to rewind cable back in it could take a lot of turning to pull a foot in so I would not pull a lot out and also you may not get it to reel back in but at least you would know the drum is not stuck

 

[porkysplace]

Ugh...Those brake lines look awful.

That tube spacer under the springs doesn't look to safe either.

 

[Coffey1]

Also may be hard to pull with it engaged instead of it being in neutral position and its been awhile but I believe the lever to the side is out cable neutral and in cable. So put it in out and may take a truck to pull.
Neutral should pull easy.

 

[CARNAC]

Also can you guys tell me what kind of tires are on this truck?
I heard some like to pop on the highway but don't know which ones.

They're the kind that go 'POP' because he likes to drive over items with lots of glass and sharp metal objects.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Thanks for all the information everyone.

So the rear blocks are a complete no no? I understand that super tall block under spring and with a heavy foot causes spring twist. So even just the 4in tall blocks are to tall in this situation?

Thank you all again.

 

[dilligaf13]

The size of the lift is a concern but of a greater concern is the fact that he used the weaker rectangular tubing, instead of a stronger solid steel lift block. This is a clue that this owner half a$$es things. The picture of him crushing the car leads me to believe he might abuse his toys, and while he can do WTF he wants to do with his toys, I wouldn't spend my money to buy his toys after he's done beating them to crap. The front drive shaft to the winch takes less than five minutes to re-install so I'm not understanding why he or you cant just throw it in to test the winch's serviceability. The wiper's take 30 seconds to reconnect but I'm guessing they won't work. Lights take the same, unless he's cut the wiring harness during the bob job. Personally unless the pricing on this bobber is super low, $2-3k, I would steer clear of it because I foresee a lot of problems that will need to be fixed to make it reliable and roadworthy (the crappy state of the brake lines are a tell tale sign of poor maintenance). If it will be an off road only toy than it won't require as much.

 

[swbradley1]

Attached: Picture of winch shear pin under my truck

Is that a shear pin or bolt?

 

[CUCVLOVER]

I was told that a company in Oklahoma city did the Bob, but who knows.

After some consideration and you guy's experience with these trucks I think I'll let someone else play with this thing. I'll just keep looking for a good one.

Thank you all very much again